Phonological processes are the patterns that young children use to simplify adult speech. All children use these processes while their speech and language are developing. For example, very young children (ages 1 to 3) may say “wa wa” for water” or “tat” for “cat.” Other children may leave out the final sound in words (for example, “pi” for “pig” or “ha” for “hat”). Up to age 3, these are appropriate productions. As children mature, so does their speech, and they stop using these patterns. By age 5, most children stop using phonological processes, and their speech sounds more like that of the adults around them.